馃嚬馃嚦TunisiaNorth Africa
Mongi Rahoui calls for protests against presidential solar power projects
via Business News4 min read
Mongi Rahoui, Secretary General of the Unified Democratic Nationalists Party Al-Watad, has called for public demonstrations against five solar power project bills. In a Facebook message on April 27, 2026, Rahoui urged citizens concerned with national sovereignty and the right to natural resources to mobilize on April 28, 2026. He described the projects as an attempt to undermine national sovereignty. These bills, deposited by the Presidency of the Republic, are scheduled for examination by the Assembly of People's Representatives on April 28, 2026. They are part of a strategy to accelerate energy transition and reduce reliance on gas imports, proposing photovoltaic power plants across the country through partnerships with private investors, with the state playing a central role in electricity purchase and regulation. While supporters view these projects as a pragmatic solution to energy and budgetary constraints, opponents, including MP Bilel El Mechri, criticize them as "energy colonialism" and "betrayal," framing the debate ideologically rather than economically or technically. The projects represent a public policy choice to leverage private financing for energy infrastructure given the state's limited investment capacity, a model widely used internationally to balance investment attractiveness with national interests.
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